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Pistons rookie Andre Drummond, left, is only 19 years old but may be the team's best rebounder and defender. / KIRTHMON F. DOZIER/DFP

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Say what you will, Pistons fans are subtle.

"Hey, Coach, put in (Andre) Drummond," a fan screamed early in the third quarter Monday night, as the Pistons played Oklahoma City at the Palace. "What's wrong with you?"

OK. Maybe, subtle is the wrong word.

But Pistons coach Lawrence Frank wouldn't budge.

Drummond, the first-round draft pick, stayed on the bench for the entire third quarter.

Even though he had played fantastic in the first half.

Even though the Pistons came into this game with a seven-game losing streak mainly because, well, the Pistons haven't done a good job of rebounding or playing defense, the two things Drummond does so well.

And this has Pistons fans confused and screaming, literally: Why not play him more?

"From the day we drafted him, we said we are going to make this a slow process," Frank said.

But it's way too slow for some fans.

Against Sacramento, Drummond played nearly 6 minutes, had one rebound and didn't score.

Two days later, in Oklahoma City, he played 20 minutes and had 22 points and eight rebounds.

"You see his minutes continue to creep up, unless the play doesn't warrant it," Frank said. "This was kind of our plan in terms of building it up."

Drummond looks old and experienced -- maybe, it's the grown-man beard -- but he's just a baby in the NBA.

Just 19.

And that's why the Pistons are handling him with kid gloves.

Drummond entered Monday's game with 1:15 left in the first quarter.

Tayshaun Prince missed a shot and Drummond followed with a powerful, two-handed rebound that he caught and slammed through the hoop with one motion.

Then, he thwarted a drive by Russell Westbrook.

He was rebounding. He was stealing the ball. He was blocking. And suddenly, the Pistons had a 42-32 lead.

When he came out, the Pistons held a 46-37 advantage with 3:46 left in the second quarter.

"Hey, good work," Frank said, punching his fist.

And then he sat. And sat. And sat some more.

When Drummond entered the game at the start of the fourth quarter, the Pistons had an 11-point lead.

But Oklahoma City countered with a small lineup and it gave the Pistons fits. Drummond didn't look like he had the same confidence and he turned the ball over.

Oklahoma City tied the game at 73 and Frank quickly yanked Drummond out of the game and put in Greg Monroe.

"Greg is a better back-to-the-basket player," Frank said.

And this is another reason why Drummond isn't playing more. Sometimes, the matchups just don't work.

So now, the Pistons have lost eight straight.

"It's obviously disappointing to lose that game," Frank said. "Yet at the same time, I don't ever think, whether it was a win or loss, that it was a season-defining game."

So he is clinging to the long-term approach.

That's how the Pistons are approaching this season -- hey, at this point, that's what they have to say.

And that's how they are handling this young player who has so much potential. They will take it slow and easy. However frustrating that may be.